Spotted Whistling-duck vs White-headed Duck

Dendrocygna guttata مقارنةً بـ Oxyura leucocephala

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Spotted Whistling-duck White-headed Duck
الاسم العلمي Dendrocygna guttata Oxyura leucocephala
الرتبة Anseriformes Anseriformes
الفصيلة Anatidae Anatidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Endangered
الطول
طول الجناح 41,3 cm (16.3 in) 29,7 cm (11.7 in)
الوزن 677,5 g (23.90 oz) 705,0 g (24.87 oz)
النظام الغذائي Primarily herbivorous; grazes tundra grasses and sedges; winters on coastal marshes and farmland, switching to … Dives for aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and plant roots in Mediterranean and Central Asian wetlands. Critically …
عدد البيض في الوضع 10-11 3-10
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Spotted Whistling-duck only

White-headed Duck only

بلا

Spotted Whistling-duck

Freshwater wetlands, rice fields, streams, and forest pools in New Guinea, Sulawesi, the Philippines, and Moluccas. Often found near forested rivers and seasonal swamps at low elevations.

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Song & Call Comparison

Spotted Whistling-duck

الغناء

A musical, high whistle similar to other whistling-ducks. Call is softer and less far-carrying than White-faced or Black-bellied species. Given in flight and on water.

White-headed Duck

الغناء

Male produces a mechanical, rapid bill-drumming; female gives a harsh, grating quack. The drumming staccato display is the same pattern as other Oxyura stiff-tails; heard on Eurasian steppe lakes.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Spotted Whistling-duck

Ranges widely across sub-Saharan Africa in open woodland and savanna. Largely sedentary with local seasonal movements to water.

White-headed Duck

Breeds in Spain, Turkey, central Asia, and Mongolia. Winters in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and northern India. Globally endangered.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Spotted Whistling-duck

Endangered

White-headed Duck

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How to Tell Them Apart

Spotted Whistling-duck

الريش

Dark brown above; head and neck dark brown. Underparts heavily spotted white on dark brown ground, giving spotted appearance. Flanks with bold white spots. Pink-red bill and legs. Sexes similar.

White-headed Duck

الريش

Male has entirely white head with small black crown patch, rich chestnut-brown body, and large bulbous powder-blue bill. Female is brown with pale whitish face divided by dark streak across …

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About These Birds

Spotted Whistling-duck

A small dark brown whistling-duck with bold white spots on its flanks, orange-red bill and legs, and a pale face. Found in tropical wetlands of New Guinea, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Often found near freshwater streams and flooded grassland. Less gregarious than other whistling-ducks.

White-headed Duck

A stiff-tailed duck (~705 g) of family Anatidae, males with a distinctive white head and swollen blue bill. Breeds on brackish and freshwater lakes in Spain and Central Asia; winters in Mediterranean and Central Asian wetlands. Dives for aquatic vegetation and invertebrates. Endangered due to hunting, hybridization with introduced Ruddy Duck, and wetland loss.

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